Photo: Glenneis Kriel
Across the world, jars labelled as pure honey are increasingly being found to contain sugar syrups or blends of uncertain origin.
Prof Robin Crewe, who serves on the Fake Honey Committee of the international federation of beekeepers’ associations, Apimondia, says the US Pharmacopeia’s Food Fraud Database has ranked honey as the third most targeted food for adulteration, after milk and olive oil.
He attributes this to global demand outpacing production, the lucrative opportunities for fraud, and the inherent difficulty of testing honey for authenticity.
An EU investigation conducted between November 2021 and February 2022 exposed the extent of the problem. Of 320 honey samples tested at EU border posts, 147 (46%) were suspected of being adulterated.
The highest number of suspicious consignments originated from China, while honey from Turkey showed the highest rate of suspected fraud. Hundred percent (10 out of the 10 samples) of the honey imported from the UK was found to be problematic, though traceability suggested it had been processed or repackaged there before being re-exported.
The same investigation revealed that nearly two-thirds of exporters sampled had shipped honey suspected of adulteration, and two-thirds of importers had received at least one such consignment.
For Crewe, these figures underline a global crisis in food authenticity and honey production.
“Consumers are being deceived on a massive scale, undermining trust not only in honey but in the entire food system. It also undermines honey prices and the viability of many beekeeping operations, to such an extent that it has led to the concept of beekeepers being an ‘endangered species,’” he says.
South Africa’s blind spot
While the EU has the benefit of extensive testing, South Africa operates largely in the dark. There is no routine testing or policing of honey purity, and no system to monitor imports effectively.
“We simply don’t know how bad the problem is here,” says Jan Steenkamp of the Northerns Beekeeping Association. “But anyone can walk into an informal shop and see syrup products sold as honey. Some labels read ‘honey syrup’, but the word syrup is printed so small that most consumers miss it and believe they’re buying pure honey.”
The industry, together with government, has been investigating the problem for the past nine months, with results expected soon. Steenkamp says he cannot yet disclose details, but describes the situation as “catastrophic”.
He confirms that fake honey is destroying livelihoods in South Africa. “Genuine beekeepers can’t compete with fraudulent products. You’ll find jars selling for R35 per 500g, below my break-even point. A realistic price for pure, locally produced honey is around R85 a jar.”
Beyond hurting producers, fake honey also cheats consumers and erodes market confidence in South Africa.
“Money is tight, so consumers are understandably searching for the cheapest honey they can find. But they should remember that not all honey is equal, even if it is raw and pure, and those that are adulterated won’t deliver the health benefits of raw honey.
“You might as well buy syrup – at least you know what it is,” says Steenkamp.
How the fraud works
Honey can be adulterated in many ways, according to Crewe. The most common is the addition of sugar syrups – from maize, cane, beet, rice or wheat – to increase volume and cut production costs. More sophisticated operations blend syrups with a small portion of real honey, then heat, filter, or chemically process the mixture to mimic the natural profile of pure honey.
Another growing problem is mislabelling. Some producers falsely claim specific floral or regional origins – such as fynbos or Karoo honey – to fetch higher prices.
“If a jar says it’s Karoo honey but it’s actually from another region or country, that’s fraud,” says Crewe. He also warns of “honey laundering” – where honey from one country, often China, is exported via another, such as Zambia, and repackaged there before being sold as a local product, or even sent off to South Africa as a Zambian product.
“These types of fraud deliberately hide the true origin of the honey,” he says.
Apimondia further lists subtle but equally deceptive practices: harvesting immature honey before bees have finished processing it; using vacuum dryers to dehydrate it; or employing ion-exchange resins to remove residues and lighten colour. These manipulations strip honey of its natural qualities, turning a unique natural product into a factory-made imitation,” says Crewe.
Even the artificial feeding of bees during nectar flow is listed as a form of fraud by Apimondia.
A vulnerable market
South Africa’s dependence on imported honey makes it particularly susceptible to fraud. Domestic production meets less than half of national demand, estimated at about 3 500t per year. Imports – mainly from Asia – fill the gap.
“Whenever a country relies heavily on imports from regions where adulteration is common, it becomes an easy target for fraudulent trade,” says Crewe. “And because our testing and enforcement are weak, South Africa is a soft entry point for fake honey.”
Last year, the Department of Agriculture launched an inspection drive focused on labelling. Between 25 and 29 November, officials reportedly seized more than 1 000 items across Gauteng and removed another 388 honey products for being non-compliant with marking regulations. Two wholesalers were fined R1 500 each.
Steenkamp says that while this was a step in the right direction, it barely scratched the surface.
“The inspections only looked at the labelling of the honey. Afterwards, however, many of the offenders simply relabelled their products or sold them elsewhere.”
Crewe points out that South Africa’s honey standards are outdated and that the country has lost much of its analytical testing capacity.
“We used to have laboratories at the Agricultural Research Council that could test honey quality. That expertise has largely disappeared. If we want to combat fraud, we must reinvest in modern analytical methods. You cannot tell which honey is fake without proper testing.”
Steenkamp adds that manpower is needed to test and to enforce regulations.
What consumers can do
Until stronger systems are in place, consumers remain the first line of defence. Steenkamp advises buying honey directly from reputable local beekeepers whenever possible.
“If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. You can’t make genuine honey for R35 a jar.”
He also encourages shoppers to read labels carefully and avoid products with vague descriptions such as honey blend or honey syrup.
“Look for the producer’s name and contact details. This, however, is not always a sign of accountability, as they have found jars of honey labelled with phone numbers and addresses that do not exist,” he says.
Consumers can also consider that pure raw honey tends to crystallise over time, whereas adulterated honey often remains runny. Irradiated honey, whilst pure, might also stay fluid, so this is not always a foolproof test.
Steenkamp warns that the consequences of honey adulteration go far beyond misleading consumers and undercutting producers.
“If the honey sector collapses, we risk losing pollination services essential to the fruit, nut and seed industries, as many beekeepers produce honey and supply these services to remain economically viable. Protecting the integrity of honey in effect means protecting the integrity of agriculture itself,” he says.
For more information email Jan Steenkamp at [email protected].
